Spain is the latest nation to look at introducing carrier-based drones, which it plans to integrate on its sole aircraft carrier, the Spanish Navy flagship Juan Carlos I. While it’s unclear what kind of launch and recovery system will be added to the warship, should the studies prove successful, introducing carrier-based drones could help ensure the longer-term relevance of the vessel once its venerable EAV-8B+ Matador II attack jets head for retirement.
Airbus and the Spanish shipbuilder Navantia today announced the signature of an agreement to explore the integration of the SIRTAP drone on the Juan Carlos I.
“This joint effort seeks to achieve a fully integrated system, ensuring complete compatibility between SIRTAP and the Juan Carlos I carrier, increasing its mission capabilities, operational flexibility, and the overall effectiveness of both platforms in diverse operational scenarios,” Airbus said in a statement.
The current agreement seeks to ensure that the SIRTAP is fully interoperable with the Spanish flattop, not only in terms of flying to and from its flight deck but also being integrated into the carrier’s SCOMBA combat management system.
According to Airbus, the integration of the drone on the carrier will focus on separate areas of study, namely command and control (C2), combat system integration, and navigation support (including takeoff and landing operations).
The Juan Carlos I is generally described as a landing helicopter dock (LHD), a type of amphibious assault ship. However, it also has a fixed-wing combat aircraft capability, with a ‘ski jump’ takeoff ramp on the bow for short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) operations. For this, it’s equipped with the EAV-8B+ Matador II — equivalent to the U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B+ Harrier II — making it Spain’s sole aircraft carrier.
As for the SIRTAP, this was developed by Airbus as “a high-end tactical unmanned aircraft system.” Spain became the launch customer for the drone in late 2023 and is currently due to receive nine systems — each comprising one ground control station and three aircraft. If that integration of the SIRTAP on the Juan Carlos I is successful, orders could well increase.
The SIRTAP is primarily a surveillance platform, specifically designed to accommodate two payloads simultaneously: typically, an electro-optical turret and a multi-mission radar, as part of a 400-pound mission payload. The drone has an endurance of more than 20 hours.
Even before today’s announcement, Airbus was touting the overwater capabilities of the drone, highlighting missions including day/night and maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).
While Airbus and Navantia haven’t so far presented a timeline for the integration work, Airbus has released photos showing a SIRTAP mockup on the deck of the carrier while it was in port. In the past, it’s been reported that the first SIRTAP prototype — which is being built at the Airbus facility in Getafe, Spain — should take to the air before the end of this year.
We also don’t yet know how the companies envision carrier operations involving the SIRTAP. While the Juan Carlos I has a takeoff ramp, it doesn’t have a catapult launch system or arrester cables.
Most likely, the approach will parallel that being explored by Turkey. Parallels are especially likely since the Turkish Navy’s ‘drone carrier’ Anadolu uses a design based on that of the Juan Carlos I. It also features a large open flight deck with a ramp at the bow. So far, the Bayraktar TB3 has successfully landed on and taken off from the Anadolu and there are plans for more capable drones to be embarked in the future.
Turkey first announced plans to convert the Anadolu as a ‘drone carrier’ in 2023. Modifications to be carried out on the Turkish vessel included the addition of dedicated control stations, beyond-line-of-sight satellite communications terminals, a ‘roller system’ on the flight deck toward the bow to help launch uncrewed aircraft, an arresting gear system, and safety nets.
In the initial videos showing the TB3 being tested aboard the Anadolu, two of which are embedded below, no launch or recovery systems were yet visible. It’s also possible that Spain might opt for different solutions to make its carrier drone-compatible.
Regardless, having drones operate from the deck of the Juan Carlos I would be a big deal for the Spanish Navy. Unlike the Turkish TB3, which can carry small precision-guided missiles and bombs, as well as rockets and other munitions, the SIRTAP isn’t currently planned to carry armament.
Currently, Spain is likely to retire its EAV-8B jets from around 2030 to 2034. The only like-for-like replacement is the F-35B, but for a force of only 13 Matador IIs, this would likely be cost-prohibitive. Fielding an armed naval drone would be one option for the Spanish Navy to preserve its carrier-based fixed-wing strike capabilities. While the SIRTAP won’t meet those requirements, it will at least provide very valuable experience in operating drones from a carrier. In this way, it could pave the way for Spain to acquire more advanced armed drones that could help replace the capabilities that are otherwise set to be lost when the EAV-8B is retired.
Ultimately, other types of drones flying from the Juan Carlos I could attack certain targets on land and at sea, as well as conduct surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
Even if unarmed, a navalized drone, like the SIRTAP, could provide very welcome surveillance capabilities, helping build a recognized maritime picture that can be shared with other Spanish Navy and allied assets. As well as improving maritime situational awareness, the drone could also use its sensors for targeting.
Potentially, the SIRTAP drones could also act as aerial network relay nodes and, depending on the type of radar fitted, possibly even serve as airborne early warning platforms. Previously, the Spanish Navy operated SH-3 Sea King helicopters adapted for airborne early warning, but these have long since been retired, with this capability being lost in the process.
At this point, we still don’t know for sure if Spain will adopt the SIRTAP for carrier operations, or even if it might end up selecting another drone for this emerging requirement.
In the meantime, Spain joins a growing number of nations that are looking to add fixed-wing drones to their aviation-capable warships, with big-deck amphibious warfare ships being especially well suited to this.
China is currently very much at the forefront of these endeavors, including developing advanced flying-wing UCAVs that can operate from carriers and other big-deck ships. The same country is also developing an entirely new class of super-sized amphibious assault ships that are very likely optimized for drone operations.
In the United Kingdom, the Royal Navy has begun demonstrating its ability to launch and recover drones from flattops, including the General Dynamics Mojave, which head operated from the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. This is part of a wider effort to expand the Royal Navy’s uncrewed naval aviation capabilities.
Late last year, a Gray Eagle STOL drone was successfully launched from South Korea’s Dokdo amphibious assault ship as part of another demonstration but recovered at a base on land. You can read more about those trials here.
Meanwhile, as well as the Mojave and Gray Eagle, General Atomics is also offering a derivative of its MQ-9 Reaper that can operate from big-deck ships, as well as a carrier-capable member of its highly modular Gambit family of uncrewed aircraft.
Recently, General Atomics also pitched a version of its Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) for installation on a variety of naval vessels, allowing them to launch drones. These included the U.K. Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer and the U.S. Navy’s Expeditionary Sea Base. Previously, General Atomics had also offered similar EMALS solutions to launch drones from the U.K. Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth class and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Izumo class carriers.
Among the other countries now exploring fixed-wing naval drone capabilities is Japan, while Spain’s neighbor, Portugal, has also ordered a new “multi-purpose vessel” that will be able to operate drones. These will help it fulfill a range of missions, including oceanic research, search and rescue, emergency relief, and naval support operations.
As TWZ has noted before, the U.S. Navy has been somewhat slow on the uptake, although the MQ-25 Stingray tanker drone is set to become its first operational advanced uncrewed carrier-based aircraft. The MQ-25 will have a secondary surveillance and reconnaissance capability, and there remains a possibility that it will eventually add new roles, including stand-off strike, in the future.
At the same time, the U.S. Navy is now working to install new dedicated drone control centers on its carriers, as part of a broader effort to help it realize its own larger uncrewed naval aviation plans. The U.S. Navy service has said that it plans for its carrier air wings to eventually become at least 60 percent pilotless.
Now, there is something of a race on, to see which navy fields the first operational ‘drone carrier.’ While it won’t be the first to achieve this, it’s notable that Spain is now looking to field these kinds of capabilities on the Juan Carlos I. Integrating drones, especially more advanced ones, could potentially provide the flagship with a vital new mission, and a rejuvenated air wing, especially once the EAV-8B Matador II is retired.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com